Myth Hunters

The armies of Nazi Germany crossed the border with Austria, but when Hitler arrived in Vienna just 2 days later, the very first thing he did was to go to the Hofburg museum to lay claim to what appeared to be a simple Roman spear head. This spear head was something that Hitler had apparently coveted ever since he had first nurtured ambitions to become the ruler of a new German Reich. After the end of the Second World War, the lance was lost. Walter Horn, a US Army lieutenant who had fled Germany, went in search of the Holy Lance.

For 2000 years, adventurers have been searching for the ship that, according to the Bible, saved Noah, his family and the animals from the great flood that God wanted to use to wipe out evil from the earth. In the last 50 years, the American creationists in particular have taken over the search. They believe that finding the Ark on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey would be the ultimate proof that the theory of evolution is wrong and that every word of the Bible is true. The documentary accompanies three of these creationists on their perilous expeditions.

Richard Knight has traveled the world as an actor, entertainer and odd-job man. But then the story of Captain Kidd's pirate treasure wouldn't let him go. He discovered marked maps in Kidd's estate and located the probable treasure island: Hon Tre Lon. However, this belonged to communist Vietnam. Knight and his partner Fred Graham were caught trespassing and arrested. After 14 months, Knight was finally released after a ransom was paid. However, he did not give up hope for the treasure.

The biblical King Solomon was famous for his wisdom, women, and wealth. The Queen of Sheba gave him gold from the mysterious land of Ophir. For thousands of years, adventurers and explorers sought the source of gold, King Solomon's mines. German explorer Karl Mauch believed he had found Ophir deep in the heart of South Africa. While archaeological excavations in the early 20th century proved otherwise, his discovery of an ancient site proved to be one of Africa's most important archaeological discoveries. King Solomon's mines remain lost.

For many it is the eighth wonder of the world: the Amber Room. Frederick I gave it to the Russian tsar in 1716, in 1941 the Germans stole it and brought it to Konigsberg, today's Kaliningrad. At the end of the war, the Amber Room disappeared without a trace - the starting signal for the greatest treasure hunt of the 20th century. For many years, the Soviet secret police and the Stasi directed the search. Finally, in 2002, a German company financed a replica that can be seen today in St. Petersburg's Summer Palace. But the search for the original continues.

The Honjo Masamune is perhaps Japan's most legendary sword, but no one knows where it is. Forged in the 13th century, it became the ceremonial sword of the Tokugawa samurai dynasty for 250 years. Since 1868 it was passed on from one generation to the next, but after the Second World War it disappeared. It may have been melted down undetected in occupied Japan, but experts believe it may have made its way to the United States as a souvenir. Today it would be worth millions and collectors hope that the lost sword of the samurai will one day be found.

Nazi military commander Heinrich Himmler's search for an Aryan race he believed came from the mythical underwater city of Atlantis. He claimed that while the city was lost under the sea, its inhabitants had fled to the Himalayas. However, the search for evidence to prove the theory would ultimately harm his peace of mind.

The story of Indiana-born treasure hunter Mel Fisher, who spent much of his life hunting for sunken Spanish treasure galleons off the coast of Florida. In 1985 he made the headlines after locating the 1622 wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha. However, his successes came at a high personal cost.

The story of amateur treasure hunter Adolph Ruth who set off into the Superstition Mountains, Arizona, in 1931 in search of the location of a rich gold mine allegedly founded by a German immigrant who never revealed its location. An expedition found his clothes containing a detailed map and a note indicating the explorer had succeeded in his quest, although his body was later discovered in a gully with two bullet wounds to the head.

South African councillor Athol Stark searches for missing gold buried during the Boer Wars with help from a Zulu family.

19th-century explorers John L Stephens and Frederick Catherwood altered our view of the Maya civilisation and uncovered great wonders such as this El Castillo (Kukulkan) pyramid, Mexico. Stephens even bought the Mayan city of Copan for $50 with the mis-guided intention of moving it along the river to US museums. The Mayans were one of the greatest civilisations of all time, building incredible structures without the use of metal tools, horses or carts. Even with these constraints, their buildings are as large as, if not larger than, some of the astounding Egyptian wonders.

In the early 1800s a party of men headed by a Thomas Beale set out from Virginia to the Colorado Rocky Mountains where they discovered gold. After mining a fortune in gold ore they exchanged it for treasure, which they then buried in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Beale recorded the secret location of the treasure in three numerical codes that when decoded would reveal the treasures value, its location and to who it belonged. Then in 1897 Clayton Hart discovered the three coded papers and soon after found out that they could reveal a great treasure in a pamphlet that revealed a deciphered paper revealing its value. With the help of his brother George, Clayton spent the next 50 years trying to uncover the location of Beale's treasure. They went to great lengths to break the ciphers, including assistance from America's top code breakers and even the supernatural!

The dying days of World War II. Hitler was in his bunker, unable to accept defeat. But most Nazis knew the game was up. It was time to start hiding evidence of their crimes. A unit of SS officers were instructed to transport boxes to the Salzgammergut lake district in the Austrian Alps. Their destination was one of the most remote and deepest lakes in the region: Lake Toplitz. On 1st May 1945, eyewitnesses still alive today saw the SS Officers throwing the boxes into the lake. Local rumours grew: the boxes were full of stolen gold. It was the biggest bank heist in history.

At the end of the 19th century, the Priest of Rennes-le-Chateau, Berenger Sauniere mysteriously and suddenly became fabulously rich. Rumours spread the priest had discovered buried treasure, but others claim Sauniere had uncovered a secret so profound, it could rock the foundations of the Catholic Church; evidence of a bloodline of Christ, the Holy Grail. Sauniere’s housekeeper, confidante and later lover, Marie Denarnaud was the only person who knew the truth, which she was going to reveal on her deathbed. However, she had a stroke and could not speak, leading many to this day to question what the truth is. Had the cup of Christ really been discovered?

A desert in California is said to hold something truly astonishing. According to the myth, somewhere in the Mojave Desert is a ship wreck with a precious cargo. In 1870 Charley Clusker, a Mexican War veteran, seasoned traveller and California Gold Rush prospector, would risk everything to find the legendary Lost Ship of the Mojave Desert. His search would cross one of the harshest environments on earth. But only around 10 miles from the ship's reported location Charley found himself in mortal danger. Despite narrowly escaping with his life Charley was determined to find the ship and set out into the desert once again. This time he ran out of food and water. After days in the desert with nothing to drink he was close to death. Just as he was about to turn back a second time something on the horizon caught his eye - a mighty Spanish galleon. Although he was desperate to get the ship Charley had no choice but to return to town.

While on holiday in Spain researching a book, American author and writer Janice Bennett, found herself looking at an exhibit in the cathedral in Valencia, which was claimed to be the Holy Grail. Although initially unimpressed she decided to find out more and her subsequent research took her on an exciting voyage of discovery, from first century Jerusalem to 21st century Spain. By tracing the history of this relic and examining all the supporting evidence, she has concluded that it could well be what claims believe it to be. The power and symbolism of the Quest for the Holy Grail has had a huge impact on western culture for centuries, and this programme sets out to understand what within biblical tradition and emerging Christianity was meant by the grail, and how historic events, myth and the Middle Ages turned it into something completely different.